


Sonic: Revival- Twilit

by ToaArcan



Series: Sonic: Revival [7]
Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie Comic)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Thrash is basically a crap Thanos, Thrash more like Trash
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-29
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:22:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22954768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToaArcan/pseuds/ToaArcan
Summary: The mysteries of Emerl's past begin to unravel, but when Knuckles and the Chaotix attempt to rescue the trapped echidnas from Thrash's cruel scheme, the arrival of strange, black-armoured figures may hold answers for all parties.
Relationships: Emerl (Sonic the Hedgehog)/Nicole the Holo-Lynx, Fiona Fox/Miles "Tails" Prower, Julie-Su/Knuckles the Echidna, more added later - Relationship
Series: Sonic: Revival [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1340506
Kudos: 10





	1. Dreams of Destruction

Explosion after explosion rocked the city of Nocturne, buildings burning, melting, collapsing to the ground as the occupants ran in terror, desperately trying to escape. Soldiers, echidna and Gizoid alike, laid crumpled in the street, amongst the rubble, embedded in walls and the few intact rooftops. Lightning split the sky, rain already washing away the blood of the fallen, thunder mixing with the sounds of the blasts.  
  
The Imperator stood, rooted to the spot, watching the unfolding calamity. His hands gripped the railing of the balcony, eyes drinking in the end of the Empire he had spent the past forty years building, at the hands of his own creation.  
  
A flash heralded another beam, sweeping out from the mechanical monster, crimson fire slicing apart buildings in seconds, reducing another city block to rubble. Warships moved to intercept, but were quickly torn apart, lasers sizzling through the air, only to dissipate with no impact when they met their target, missiles bouncing off or exploding harmlessly against its armour as it continued its inevitable rampage toward him.  
  
“<Ix… do you at last see what you have wrought?>” A voice behind him, worn thin by age, drew the white echidna’s attention. His eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn’t turn  
  
“<Nestor… Have you forgotten your place? Address me as ‘Imperator’, or not at all,>” Ix frowned for a moment, before he sighed, shaking his head. “<No… nevermind. We have greater concerns now than formalities… Come, brother, and watch these fireworks with me.>”  
  
  
Nestor, a wizened, orange echidna with a thick beard and even thicker eyebrows, hobbled closer, his staff acting as a crutch.  
  
“<I told you, Ix. I told you the Omega wasn’t ready. I warned you that using the Gizoids like this would have consequences we hadn’t foreseen, but you refused to listen to me. And now, the world we built together is dying, razed to the ground by her,>” He growled, glaring at his former comrade. “<Our people are _dying_ , Ix. What are you going to do?>”  
  
“<The only thing I can do, Nestor. I am going to wait for her to run out of power, and then destroy her. We simply made her too strong, old friend. Even with all the power of Nocturne, I cannot hope to overcome what she is now. But this transformation of hers will end, and then I will destroy her.>”  
  
“<You would sacrifice our people just to assure your victory? You won’t even try?>” Nestor rounded on him, grabbing Ix’s shoulder.  
  
“<It’s the only option I have!>” The Imperator snapped, whirling to face him. “<I’m not strong enough to defeat her on my own, and the Alphas have already fallen.>”  
  
  
As they spoke, the destroyer emerged from the fire ahead of them, bronze and tan plating gleaming, reflecting the light of her blazing red aura. Rain steamed against her armour, barbed tendrils snaking from behind her back, as she regarded them with three hateful eyes.  
  
“ ** _< Die… Die…>_**” She hissed, raising her hands, crimson javelins forming within them, aimed at the two echidna.  
  
Before she could open fire, however, a lightning bolt crashed down on her from above, freezing her up, and a gout of fire erupted from below her, engulfing her body, as the two Alpha-series Gizoids, Charyb and Scylla rose from the flames, fixing their wayward counterpart with steely glares.  
  
  
“<Ix, now’s your chance! Hit her now!>” Nestor cried out, but he needn’t have bothered. Beside him, the white echidna raised his staff, crackling with green light.  
  
“<All guards, open fire on the Omega-series,>” His voice sounded. Immediately, a hail of blue and magenta bolts erupted from the guns lining his tower, operators aiming them for the stunned Gizoid. His quartet of Beta-series Guardians rolled up behind him, levelling their own staves at the target, beams lancing toward her. “ _< Dark Arrow…>_”  
  
The sparks around Ix’s raised weapon darkened, turning mostly black, before a volley of arrows erupted from the tip, striking the rampaging robot. She writhed, letting out a cry of pain and frustration, and, for a moment she was held there, contained.  
  
Then one of her extra limbs reached up, blocking the lightning. Electricity surged up the tentacle, channelled into her. The other three intercepted his Dark Arrows, as, with a wave of her hand, a torrent of water slammed into Scylla’s body, extinguishing her fire and swatting her from the sky.  
  
“<Scylla!>” Charyb’s horrified voice rang out, reaching out for her falling sister, only to be struck by her own lightning, hurled against the side of the tower, before falling back into the inferno, leaving only the Imperator and his protectors.  
  
The Omega-series snapped her fingers, the sky around her sparking as dozens of scarlet javelins took form, all aiming at the tower. Her hands raised above her head, both clenching into fists, the gesture launching all of them at once, bombarding the structure, shredding the guns from their mountings, killing the crew, and disintegrating the masonry as they pelted down on it.  
  
The floor shook, both echidna grabbing the railing of the balcony to steady themselves, as the tower began to list forward. The structure of the building had been torn apart by the rain of Chaos, and now it was dangerously unstable. Not that the damage was dissuading her from continuing her attack.  
  
A trio of spiralling red eyebeams lanced into Ix’s chest, knocking him off of his feet and launching him back into the throne room. Nestor dove to the side as she flew after her prey, landing heavily and cracking the floor beneath her. She straightened, prowling toward the downed Imperator.  
  
As she stalked forward, the four Beta-series rolled into her path, brandishing their pikes, but her tendrils lashed out, spearing into their torsos, ripping out their cores and crushing them in one fluid motion. A quartet of javelins reduced their empty carcasses to scrap metal, and as she spotted Ix trying to stand, she scooped up one of the pikes and lobbed it at him, spiking through his leg and pinning him down with an agonised scream.  
  
The Omega-series took another step forward, but as she did so, six beams slammed into her, actually staggering her, and she turned to see the armoured figures of the Procurator and six of Ix’s High Praetorians, Hellfire cannons unleashing their full fury on her. A round shield formed from her arm, blocking the beams, which pushed her back, her feet scraping against the floor. Seeing the Gizoid holding firm in spite of the weight of fire, the Procurator vanished in a pulse of green.  
  
But as he reappeared beside her, her fist crashed against his forehead, breaking the glowing magenta symbol and sending him sprawling across the room. She’d sensed the flow of Chaos energy, and simply backhanded him the moment he materialised.  
  
The Praetorians’ weapons shortly overheated, and as soon as the beams stopped, she lunged for them, twin chainblades unfolding from her forearms, immediately burying one of them in the chest of the nearest warrior. Almost casually, her other hand swung out, decapitating another of the echidnas as she tore the weapon from her first victim. Springing forward, she slammed her forehead against the helmet of another soldier, cracking it and knocking him to the floor. Her foot smashed down on his throat with a nauseating crunch.  
  
She whirled around, charging for the other half of the squad, diving between two of them with her blades crossed, before rearing up and scissoring the swords across the neck of the third. As his head separated from his shoulders, she kept the wide arcs going, cleaving the other two in twain.  
  
One of the blades folded away, and as she wiped the blood spatter from one of her optics, she turned just in time to split a bolt of Chaos Energy with a sweep of the other weapon. Across from her, the Procurator stood, hands flickering with green fire.  
  
“<M-monster…>” He murmured. The High Praetorians were the strongest soldiers in the entire Nocturnus Army. They had never been defeated, even by the Alpha-series, and yet this single Gizoid had slaughtered a whole squad in seconds. There was no other word to describe it.  
  
“ ** _< I am no monster!>_**” She snarled, rounding on him, stalking steadily onwards. He froze at the sound of the enraged Gizoid’s voice, echoing with seemingly limitless power. “ ** _< You are the monsters… You did this to me! You made me into this! Now… you pay the price… Now… let me taste your pain… and despair…>_**”  
  
She barreled toward him, drawing her sword back, but he ducked under the swipe, drawing a semicircular blade and slicing it across her waist. She stumbled slightly, feeling some of her energy fading, but blocked the second swing with her own weapon, stepping forward to strike again. He tried to parry, but the sheer strength of the Gizoid’s attack knocked him off balance, and with one more slash, she severed his arm at the shoulder.  
  
The Procurator screamed, as the Gizoid formed a copy of his leech blade, and punched it through his helmet, shattering the lenses and embedded itself in the echidna’s skull. She held firm for a few seconds, until her foe collapsed, wrenching the weapon out, and folding it away.  
  
  
All obstacles gone, she turned back toward the helpless Ix, striding toward him again.  
  
“<No… no… stay back!>” He pleaded, as she loomed over him, the bright glow of her aura obscuring all of her features, save for her searing eyes. Wordlessly, she wrenched the spear from his leg, and picked him up, holding him above her head. Ignoring his further protests, she brought him down violently onto her knee with a loud crack. Ix screamed again, and she dropped him to the ground.  
  
  
Far below them, the tower finally gave out, the damaged front collapsing as the building tipped sharply. The Gizoid’s tendrils jabbed into the floor, anchoring her in place, but Ix wasn’t so lucky, sliding past her, toward the balcony, where Nestor caught his arm, the older echidna barely hanging on himself.  
  
Springing off from the wall, she launched herself up through what was the back wall, blasting up, out of the collapsing tower, and into the stormy sky. She halted, hanging in the air as she looked down on the burning city, and raised her hand into the air, Chaos crackling along her arm and coalescing in her palm. A small, dark orb took shape, as she felt reality sunder itself in her hand. The orb grew, larger and larger, a pitch-black void yawning open, and, with a gesture that resembled an overhand throw, slowly descended upon the doomed city.  
  
As it flew, small chunks of building and people, bits of debris and rubble, began to float up into it, disappearing into the rift. It struck the earth, instantly consuming the ground where it landed, sucking in all nearby as it grew larger and larger, devouring more and more of Nocturne, swallowing up everything- Echidnas, Gizoids, ships, fortresses, city blocks, houses, and the ruins that had once been the Imperator’s tower.   
  
As the Chaos Rift flickered and collapsed in on itself, nothing was left of the once-great city but a massive crater, not the result of a blast or explosion, but just a gap, a smooth, clean cut, where everything that had touched the orb had been seemingly annihilated.  
  
  
The Gizoid hovered, but as she turned to fly away, she felt her strength falter, her aura flickering. Almost automatically, her engines fired, keeping her in the air as her enhanced state began to fade, her body contracting, beginning to collapse down into a smaller form, fin-blades folding away.  
  
Then, just as she felt herself returning to normal, the air sparked, and a bolt of lightning struck her, electricity surging through her.  
  
Everything went dark.  
  
***  
  
 **Sonic: Revival- Twilit  
  
Chapter 1 of 11: Dreams of Destruction**  
  
  
Tails looked up at the door, in the lowest level of his uncle’s home. It was ornate, carved from wood, with the shape of a sundial embossed on and picked out in brass. On the other side, apparently a sort of temporal distortion field where time was significantly twelve times faster than it was outside. One year in would be just a month out.  
  
Merlin walked past him, setting his hand on the doorknob.  
  
“Are you certain you wish to do this, Tails?” He asked, looking back at his nephew. “Once you’re in, you can’t come out until the door unlocks in 30 days’ time. Regardless of what happens, you _will_ be giving up a year of your life. If you want to back out, this is your last chance, and I won’t begrudge you. I’m certain there are other ways I can help you control this power.”  
  
“I’m certain. I’ve hid from this for long enough, and people I care about nearly got hurt because of me. I almost triggered the traumatic memories of someone that I… that I _love,_ ” He answered. Admitting his feelings toward Fiona was significantly easier without her, Nic, Sonic, Sally, his parents, or basically anyone else around. For as distant as they were, he at least felt no pressure or shame when talking to his uncle. “I can’t go on like this. I’ve got to fix it, and master these abilities. I can’t have the people that I want to protect needing protection from me.”  
  
“Alright then… good luck, Tails,” Merlin nodded, opening the door.  
  
“Thanks. See you in a year, Uncle Merlin,” He smiled, walking over the threshold. The door closed behind him with a heavy clunk, then slowly faded out of sight. Realising that he was certainly not getting out any time soon, he turned, and took stock of his surroundings.  
  
  
He found himself standing on what appeared to be a lake. It rippled when he took a step, and was clear and pure, his reflection clearly visible. Yet, when he touched the surface, he didn’t get wet, and he stayed standing on top of the surface, regardless of how much he tried to break through it.  
  
The ‘lake’ stretched on into the distance, and ahead, in what he assumed to be the middle, a structure rose from it, looking surprisingly similar to the Master Emerald Shrine, though as he got closer, he saw that, rather than the large jewel, only a small, glowing blue stone hovered at its heart: A Time Stone.  
  
“I suppose that’s how the time dilation works…” He mused, turning around to look over the void. “Well… let’s get started.”  
  
***  
  
Fiona woke with a start, breathing heavily, sweat running down her forehead. She kicked the comforter off of herself, and ripped the padded gloves from her hands, looking herself over. No more cuts or scars than before, both of her arms still in one piece, albeit mechanical. A glance at the mirror showed no additional bruises.  
  
Another nightmare. Nothing more.  
  
Growling quietly, her fist thumped the bed, the minor impact tingling up her cybernetics, but as the adrenaline rush wore off, a wave of lethargy washed over her, and she slumped back down into the bed, awkwardly shifting down and stretching to reach the comforter, pulling it back over herself, snuggling down.  
  
Mornings sucked. That was a simple fact of life. It always took her far too long to get up, according to others, but as far as Fiona was concerned, staying in bed until she was more hungry than tired was the only sensible way to live. Then she’d eat some too-sugary cereal, drench herself in the shower, and after that she’d finally be awake.  
  
But ever since that horrible day, she’d been unable to sleep properly. Every night, he would appear and torment her, and she’d wake up, heart pounding in her ears, fur standing on end. Reliving it over and over was becoming difficult to bear, and the lack of sleep was only making her more tired.  
  
She contemplated calling for Nic, but after the first two weeks, she’d stopped. She told herself that she just didn’t want to disturb her friend, just to tell the wolf-weasel about a problem that she couldn’t solve, but a part of her knew it wasn’t completely true. Those first few nights, when she had screamed out in terror, Nic barreled into her room and wrapped her in a hug. She held Fiona as if she were still the tiny, half-starved kit that she had found outside of the prison all those years ago, and the vixen felt just as small, huddled into her guardian’s muscular form.  
  
Every time Nic had come to her aid, she’d slept like a log afterwards. True, the nightmares hadn’t really abated, but knowing that her strong, protective mentor was there for her made them easier to deal with.  
  
It wasn’t that Nic couldn’t help her, because she definitely could. It was more that little voice in the back of her mind that told her not to count on others, to stay independent, telling her that she didn’t need Nic. It had always been there, ever since the prison, but it had gotten stronger over the years. Now it sounded a lot like _him_.  
  
That most persistent of personal demons had a way of worming into her head, despite her knowing full-well that it was wrong. She’d always relied on others, it was when she let the voice win that she suffered, far from the other way around.  
  
And yet, here she was. Staring up at the ceiling in the middle of the night, reeling from a nightmare, and knowing full-well that she wasn’t going to call out to Nic.  
  
Fiona glanced over at her clock. 4am. Not nearly late enough to skip out on going back to sleep, even knowing what was waiting for her in her own mind. She sighed, pulled the gloves back onto her arms, and did her best to get comfortable, as her eyes closed.  
  
***  
  
 _Once more, the vixen found herself confronted by the shadowy, monstrous form of Scourge, wreathed in purple and leering at her with a sharp-fanged grin. The faceless Destructix held her down, stopping her from moving, as her arms ached and stung and bled on the rocky ground.  
  
Scourge reached toward her with long, sharp-taloned fingers, and she closed her eyes tightly, struggling against the iron grip of her former teammates, to no avail.  
  
  
But then, something changed. The hands grasping at her right ankle released their hold, and she opened her eyes to see the faceless copy of Flying Frog burn away in a spiralling red conflagration. Swiftly, the other three members of the team received similar blasts, reduced to ash.  
  
A fifth beam struck the phantom Scourge, staggering him, throwing him back, as the newcomer landed between the pair of them.  
  
He stood taller than her assailant, body either wreathed in white fire or completely made from it, a red aura flickering around his form. His hands were exposed, sharp claws extending from his fingertips, with a golden ring bound to each of his wrists, almost like shackles. Twin tails lashed behind him, tips sharpened to burning points, and he lunged at the shadowed hedgehog, claws raking over his skin.  
  
“_ **What the-** ” _Scourge recoiled, looking at the burning red claw-marks on his torso, even in spite of his shadowy form, as the fiery guardian speared him through the torso with both of his tails, before grabbing him by the throat and hoisting him off the ground.  
  
Twin beams of spiralling Chaos erupted from his eyes, bathing the hedgehog in the inferno, until all that remained was what looked like the regular Scourge. Not a giant, not a shadow-creature, or anything else out of her nightmares. Just the regular old creep, who took one look at the new arrival, and bolted.  
  
  
Tails, because who else could it really be, turned back toward Fiona, and she caught sight of his aggressive grin and spiralling red eyes, flinching at what she saw. And yet, as he looked at her, he shrunk down to the normal size, white fire extinguishing to expose his Mobian form, the rings slipping from his wrists in the process.  
  
Silently, the younger fox approached her, a calm smile on his face, easing her terror. He took her hands gently, clasping them with his own, as his eyes shone blue, and the fallen rings melted, wrapping around her scarred forearms and hands, forming a replica, albeit a golden one, of each of her prosthetic limbs.  
  
The pain had stopped as soon as he did so, and Fiona stared incredulously at him, but he simply smiled, still holding her hands. Finally, she gave his fingers a gentle squeeze, and smiled back at him._  
  
***  
  
Fiona was roused from her dream by the sound of Nic’s fist on her door, and her voice yelling at the younger of the two to get up.  
  
“Whu-?” She asked, eloquently.  
  
“It’s eleven AM and we’ve got company coming!” Came the slightly-panicked response.  
  
“Okay.” Fiona grumbled, rolling out of the bed and picking herself up. Eleven in the morning already? Had she slept that well? She certainly felt rested… and warm. The dream had certainly taken a turn… She wiped her brow, frowning as she tried to think back over it. Seeing something so similar to Tails’ uncontrolled power as her protector was somewhat odd, but then… while his transformation _had_ scared her, he hadn’t hurt her. He _couldn’t_ hurt her.  
  
And… she hadn’t noticed it at the time, she was caught up in the chaos of the battle, but she was fairly certain that Tails had transformed because Mogul tried to attack her. What Scourge had done to her was more than just a factor in the anger that had fuelled his recent issues too...  
  
Strong enough to protect her from her tormentor, fuelled by his anger at him, and others who sought to harm her... Maybe that was why...  
  
Fiona blushed, shaking her head. She had other things to worry about for now, given that she was due a visitor.  
  
Maybe it _was_ Tails? No, the month wasn’t quite up yet. It’d be a few days more until he returned, and why would he come to her first anyway? No, it’d be one of their other friends, she hoped. The other options weren’t great, the last thing she wanted to see was one of the older Prowers, or any other member of the Council except Chuck or Elias. She wasn’t sure what Sally had done to keep them off her back so far, but she knew it was a tenuous thing. Rosemary and Hamlin would both be waiting to drop on her the moment she put a foot out of line.  
  
Fiona went through the motions of morning almost on autopilot. She didn’t see Nic while she was eating, but heard water whistling through the pipes, so presumably she was showering too. So, the vixen ate alone, and then returned to her own bathroom, cleaning her teeth, her fur and skin, before drying and dressing herself.  
  
  
As she emerged, the doorbell rang. Nic hadn’t shown herself yet. She always took a long time in the mornings, so that wasn’t a surprise. Shrugging, Fiona made her way to the door, and opened it, finding Emerl on the other side, awkwardly standing.  
  
“Hey, morning,” The robot greeted her, waving slightly.  
  
“Morning,” She replied. “I take it you’re the visitor Nic mentioned?”  
  
“Yeah, that’s me,” The Gizoid nodded.  
  
“Well, come in,” Fiona stepped aside, allowing Emerl to enter. “Nic’s still getting ready, but we can wait for her. I’d offer refreshments, but, well…”  
  
“Robot,” Emerl laughed slightly.  
  
“So, what can we help you with?” The vixen asked.  
  
“Well, I’ll go into it properly when Nic’s here, but when Sonic and the others brought her back here, I asked her if she could help me unlock some of my past, and… it’s getting pretty urgent now…” The Gizoid explained.  
  
“Oh? Why, is something wrong?”  
  
“I’m not sure…” Emerl’s shoulders sagged, before she looked back up at her friend. “Fiona… I’ve started dreaming.”  
  
  
“What do you mean, you’ve ‘started dreaming’?” Fiona asked, raising an eyebrow, as she led Emerl into the living area.  
  
“I mean, I’ve started seeing things, in my mind, when I power down, ever since I absorbed the last Emerald. I wasn’t doing that before,” She replied, flopping down on the couch. “I’ll explain when Nic gets here.”  
  
“I’m here,” Nic announced, appearing from the door to her room. “Morning, ladies. Sleep alright, Fi?”  
  
“Kinda, yeah,” Fiona nodded, smiling slightly, as the wolf-weasel sat down next to her . “I don’t think Emerl did, though.”  
  
“You sleep?” Nic asked, raising an eyebrow at the robot. “Wait, should I be worried that you’re sleeping when you’re the main line of defense between my little Ember and that mucus-coloured scumbag?”  
  
“Niiic…” Fiona pouted at the nickname, as Emerl shook her head.  
  
“No, sleep mode for me isn’t like it is for organics. I just power down to conserve energy and stop myself getting bored. I leave my long-range scanners on, and they’ll alert me if any Anarchy energy pops up, be it Scourge or that creepy Tails knockoff Nicole told me about,” Emerl replied. “Besides, I only sleep mode when Nicole’s awake, and we make sure one of us is always up and about, so even if he pulls something sneaky, we’ll know.”  
  
“Well, okay then… So what’s the deal with you dreaming?”  
  
“That’s the thing. Until I absorbed the grey Emerald, I didn’t dream. If I went into sleep mode I lost all awareness until I came out of it,” She explained. “They’re a lot like the visions I have whenever I get an Emerald, but… longer…”  
  
“Visions?” Fiona asked.  
  
“Yeah, when I get around the Emeralds, I get a little... weird. I sorta start zoning in on them, like, laser-focused, to the point that I ignore everything else around me, until I have it in my hand. Then it gets absorbed automatically, and I space out and start… seeing things. I think they might be memories, but I’m not sure…”  
  
“What do you see?”  
  
“A burning city. More robots like me. Soldiers in black armour. People running for their lives. I think they’re running from me…” Emerl leaned forward, resting her arms against her own knees as she stared at the floor. The two former mercenaries looked at each other for a second, then back to their friend. “But there’s other stuff too. Weird stuff.”  
  
“Like?” Nic pressed.  
  
“Sometimes I look at my hands, and… they’re not _my_ hands. They’re… organic,” She answered. “And sometimes I see stuff that doesn’t make sense at all. A village, an old one. Everybody’s still using swords and spears and they wear metal armour… And there’s this arena. I go in there, and I fight, for fun. They feel like memories, but… that doesn’t make sense…”  
  
  
The Gizoid paused for a moment, letting out a sigh, before glancing up at the two former mercenaries. “You two know what I am. I need you to tell me everything that you know.”  
  
  
“Well, you’re the history buff, Fi,” Nic prompted, the vixen nodding. She grabbed the tablet that Tails had given her to keep her entertained during her house arrest, unlocked it, and, with a few presses of the touch screen, a hologram projected from it, showing an array of carvings, all in different styles, but all depicting a similar figure: A smooth, armoured shape, three eyes shining from its head.  
  
“You’re a Gizoid, though I think you know that already. What you might not be aware of is what it means. The Nocturnian language mostly went extinct when the Fourth Great Civilisation, also known as the Empire of the Night, collapsed, after its capital city was destroyed. There were some small pockets of speakers left over, though, and that’s how knowledge of it survived into the present day. But the word “Gizoid” fell out of use. It has a few translations, but more or less it means… ‘ _Ultimate Weapon._ ’ That it appears to be completely separate from the standard Nocturnian _τελικό όπλο_ suggests that ‘Gizoid’ was a name that became associated with that meaning, rather than the other way around, and with the disappearance of the beings that held that name, it faded into obscurity,” Fiona began, cycling through the images.  
  
“I guess ‘Ultimate Weapon’ is a pretty fitting handle,” Nic shrugged, while Emerl quietly listened on.  
  
“Perhaps. Now, the Gizoids were soldiers, obviously. And they came in a few different shapes and sizes, but the most important features were always the same: Three eyes, or optics, an integrated blade weapon of some kind, though you’re the first I’ve seen to have two, or for them to be long blades, normally they’re short and round… And the last common feature is apparently some level of ability copying, though that’s only known from accounts of them.”  
  
“Isn’t all of this only known from accounts?” Emerl asked, tilting her head.  
  
“No, actually. You’re not the only… uh, specimen, I guess, to have been found, though you are the only one in good shape. A few years back, some archeologists in Eurish found a badly damaged Gizoid, looked a bit like you, but all busted up, with a different-shaped crest. It was beyond repair, but they were able to study it, and found out quite a lot about how they worked,” Fiona explained. “And before that, there was… the ARK incident. The first one.”  
  
“What happened there?”  
  
“Long story, mostly not relevant. Some scientists found a Gizoid, mostly intact, it went berserk on them, probably destroyed,” Fiona replied, brushing off the question. “But what I think is most relevant to the topic at hand is the matter of how Gizoids are made.”  
  
“Oh?” Emerl prompted, expectantly leaning forward.  
  
“We haven’t had a good chance to open one of you up, obviously… but it appears that there’s an... organic… component to you,” The vixen explained, folding her arms. “A soul. You have a soul. If you didn’t, your Chaos abilities wouldn’t be nearly as potent, nor would you have your own Chaos attack. Tails now has Chaos Lance, Shadow has Chaos Spear, Knuckles has Thunder Arrow, Sonic probably has one but he just doesn’t use it, but it seems like every Chaos Adept has some sort of energy attack unique to them, and you’ve got your Javelins. You’re not just a robot with powers because you’ve got a fake Emerald as your core and some real ones added to the mix. You’re an Adept. I think that most likely… those organic hands you saw in place of your own… I think they might actually be yours.”  
  
  
Emerl stared at Fiona, her face unreadable as ever. She blinked a few times, tilting her head, glancing away at last, as if lost in thought. Finally, she gave an answer.  
  
“What?”  
  
“I know it sounds crazy, but we’re all well aware that the means of transforming a living person into a machine exist. I think it’s more than likely that you… And most other Gizoids, if not all, were once flesh and blood people, who through some method or another… had their souls transferred into mechanical forms,” The vixen explained. “That’s what you’re seeing. Memories from before you were a Gizoid.”  
  
  
The robot looked down at her hands. Surely that wasn’t possible, right? The means of turning Mobians into machines was a technological advancement well beyond the capabilities of some people three millennia in the past, it had to be… But then again… her existing at all somewhat flew in the face of that, all things considered. She was, after all, effectively a modern robot, perhaps even more advanced than most of today’s machines… yet…  
  
Fiona’s theory made sense. It made more sense than anything she could come up with. In fact, she wasn’t even sure why she was so resistant to the idea. So what if she was once organic? She was still Emerl! It just meant that she had a life before she was Emerl. A life that was stolen from her so she could be turned into a superweapon for a long-dead empire.  
  
 _Oh._ That probably explained it.  
  
“Emerl?” Fiona’s voice cut through her internal debate. “Are you alright?”  
  
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. This is just… a lot to take in, y’know?” She looked up at her concerned friend. “Still… it does go a long way to explaining what’s happening to me… I just wish I had access to it all, instead of just these flashes…”  
  
“Maybe Nicole can help with that?” Nic suggested. The hybrid flashed her a smug grin that Emerl could only see as _knowing_ , though she wasn’t sure about what. “She could probably take a look inside that skull of yours, might be able to pull it all out.”  
  
Despite the weird face she was making, Emerl couldn’t help but agree with Nic’s suggestion. If anyone could help her, it was Nicole, what with them being technologically compatible and all.  
  
  
“ _We believe that the technology that was used to make Nicole was reverse-engineered from the same technology that made Emerl,_ ” Tails’ words crossed her mind, and she felt herself freeze up.  
  
If she was once an organic… and Nicole was made by technology reverse-engineered from whatever made her… did that mean Nicole was once organic as well? No, surely she’d always been a computer. She’d even said so…  
  
Just a computer. A computer with a very specific, organic-looking avatar, and a stated desire to be as much like a Mobian as possible. A computer who thought and felt and acted and emoted just like any other person, even to the detriment of her own functions. A computer who dreamed.  
  
 _Oh. Oh gods._  
  
Emerl’s optics widened, and as she met Fiona’s gaze, it seemed the vixen was thinking along similar lines.  
  
“I need to go,” The Gizoid announced, standing up. “Thank you for your assistance. You’ve helped me make a lot of sense of what’s going on.”  
  
“Glad to be of help…” Fiona nodded, joining her on her feet.  
  
“Yeah, see you around, kid,” Nic’s smirk hadn’t faltered, so she probably hadn’t picked up on the train of thought shared between herself and Fiona.  
  
  
The vixen led her comrade out of the living room and into the hallway, pausing as she reached the door.  
  
“Hey, Emerl… before you shoot off, can I ask you something?” She glanced over her shoulder at the robot, who shrugged.  
  
“Sure, okay,” Her mind was somewhat elsewhere, but she was paying enough attention to respond.  
  
“You like to spar, right? Well… I’ve got these new arms, and I don’t really know how to use them that well. Honestly, when we went to the casino, it seemed like you were better with them than I was. So… I was thinking that you could train me?” She suggested, with a faint smile.  
  
“I don’t see why not,” Emerl beamed, conveying as much of a smile as she could manage with just her eyes. “Just don’t expect me to go easy on you.”  
  
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” The vixen smirked back, before opening the door. “Tonight, at the lab?”  
  
“I’ll be there,” Emerl nodded, walking past her. “But right now… I think I’ve got a bit of a bomb to drop on Nicole…”  
  
“You’re going to tell her, then?”  
  
“Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I?” She tilted her head, incredulous.  
  
“I dunno, just wanted to make sure,” Fiona shrugged. “Later, Emerl.”  
  
“See you tonight,” She stepped outside, and took off, flying back over the city itself. ‘` _Nicole… we need to talk._`’


	2. Who am I?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emerl rushes to tell Nicole what she has learned, while Knuckles and the Chaotix prepare to retaliate against Thrash.

** Sonic: Revival- Twilit **

**  
Chapter 2 of 11: Who Am I?**  
  
  
Below New Mobotropolis, Silver was once again packing his meagre things. Shard had invited himself over, and flopped across the now-vacant bunk.  
  
“Y’know, if your Chronos Control after the whole Mogul thing had worked, you’d have left your stuff here,” The robot mused, glancing at the grey hedgehog with one optic.  
  
“I realised that as soon as I got back here,” Silver chuckled awkwardly. “I won’t say I’m glad that it didn’t work, but…”  
  
“Yeah, I get where you’re going…” Shard nodded, sitting up. “Well, mentally anyway. Not sure where you’re off to physically.”  
  
“I’m going to find another Time Stone,” He replied, explaining quickly when he saw the hedgehog’s confused face. “I don’t intend to use it straight away, but if I bring it back here, then it might help with Tails’ research into what’s going wrong. Then, if there is a way to get me home, I’ll be able to use it right away.”  
  
“Makes sense, I guess,” The Metal Sonic shrugged. “I’d offer to come with you, but… well, I kinda need to stay here. My new body’s being worked on at the moment, and naturally I’m pretty involved in the process.”  
  
“Yeah, understandable,” Silver agreed. “Still, maybe it’ll be done by the time I’m back?”  
  
“Hey, maybe. Who knows?” Shard shrugged. “Progress’ll probably speed up when Tails gets back.”  
  
“Most likely,” He nodded, finishing up. “In any case… see you around?”  
  
“Sure thing, pal,” Shard grinned, offering his one hand. Silver shook it, and turned to leave. “Good luck, Silver.”  
  
***  
  
  
Up in the far north, in the frozen carcass of the Death Egg, its mad creator and his diminutive sidekick awaited their new arrival.  
  
Snively’s health had been improving since his escape from the prison pod, slowly building his body back up over time, eating larger and larger meals. By now, he had all but returned to normal, and not just in body.  
  
Some would call him foolish for almost immediately preparing to undermine his uncle. But then, they would also find the doctor to be foolish for allowing him back into the organisation. Eggman would always hand him the knife, encourage its use, and turn his back. Snively would always drive it in, but never manage to go deep enough to kill him, only hinder them both.  
  
A vicious cycle if there ever was one, but now there was a faint window. A chance for success.  
  
Snively had reviewed the video footage of the clashes between Eggman’s creations and the new robot, the same that had served as a convenient way to get his uncle to allow a reunion with Regina. Mecha Sally, Mecha Sonic, and the Egg Beater Mk.3, all of them falling essentially single-handedly to it. He agreed with the droid’s assessment of the former’s worth, but Mecha Sonic had been significantly stronger, and he knew full-well the fearsome power of the Egg Beaters.  
  
But that wasn’t what interested him in the robot.  
  
No, what interested him was its complete lack of concern for Eggman’s safety.  
  
Under Princess Sally’s leadership, the Freedom Fighters had prioritised capturing their enemies. Unsurprising, given her being raised to uphold the law, that she’d want to bring her foes to justice. Also unsurprising was that her allies typically followed her lead.  
  
But this machine wasn’t like them. Not only had it demonstrated the ability to walk over Eggman’s creations, but it had spoken, and the last thing that the downed Egg Beater’s cameras had picked up was especially intriguing.  
  
 _“Next time I see that man, I will kill him.”_  
  
It wasn’t the sort of thing he’d ever expected to hear from a Freedom Fighter, and it gave him an idea. The kernel of a plan that might just, for once, work out the way he wanted it to: With his uncle dead and him in control of the Empire.  
  
That idea grew into a full-fledged scheme as he not only saw the robot crash through the Death Egg, but consume the Chaos Emerald that he and the doctor had worked so hard for, and critically damage Mecha Sonic too.  
  
Reports since then, from the region of Mobotropolis, had indicated that the robot had stood evenly with Naugus, and taken his Emerald too, and more recently, had been seen punching out Scourge, murderous intent still readily apparent. Most tellingly was the destruction of Mogul’s establishment, where the robot had been seen to fight against an unchained Super form, and still manage to hold its own.  
  
If their enemies had a new member who could peel open armoured mechs like bananas, and a stated desire to kill Eggman… And that member was a robot? It could be a useful pawn for himself and Regina. Even if the Freedom Fighters had managed to curb its destructive tendencies, the Iron Queen would merely need to give it a push in the right direction.  
  
That was to say nothing of some other recent developments among their mutual enemies. But for the first time, the odds truly appeared to be with him, rather than Eggman. His schemes had often been gambles, even when he was sure of their function, it was essentially a coin toss. But now, he’d been presented with a golden opportunity to stack the deck in his favour… and the next piece of the puzzle was about to arrive.  
  
The shuttle, a weird, boxy aircraft with a round cockpit depicting his uncle’s face, lumbered into the hangar, and set down, smoke billowing from its engines as they turned off. A few seconds later, the hatch hissed open, boarding ramp sliding out of the hull, and granting its occupants egress.  
  
Regina appeared first, looking just as she had the day he’d last seen her, with a harsh stare fixed on her face. The hulking form of Hugo Brass towered behind her, face emotionless. Two more human Legionnaires stood by, holding the damaged, inert form of Snively’s own Auto-Automaton counterpart.  
  
Unable to help himself, the real Snively rushed over to meet her, his plan forgotten for the moment.  
  
“Welcome, Regina,” He greeted. Warmth was a rather alien tone for him, but it came easily where the former Queen of Chun-Nan was concerned. She looked down at him, and smiled, wrapping one arm around his shoulders, before glaring icily at Eggman.  
  
“Thank you, Snively,” She replied, without breaking her stare. “You do realise, Doctor, that your infiltrator droid didn’t fool me for long, yes? I already had spies seeking the location of the real Snively. But I’m glad you decided to admit to it, it saves me a lot of trouble… So, how can I help you, _sir?_ ”  
  
Eggman shifted, almost uncomfortably. It was more than apparent that Regina hadn’t been subjected to any kind of surgery upon becoming his newest Grandmaster. No mind control, no bomb, nothing. And, given his reconstruction of Lien-Da, he more than likely knew about her ability to control those devices anyway. He had no means of protecting himself, should she decide to turn on him, and, if Snively knew his uncle well, he was more than likely wishing that this conversation had been conducted via conference call.  
  
“I released Snively when it became apparent that my ability as Emperor had dulled in his absence. I need his scheming to keep myself sharp, see,” It was a lie, of course, his escape had been without Eggman’s input, but he agreed to maintain the illusion until such a time as he could be alone with Regina, without any of Eggman’s cameras or microphones around. The entire Death Egg was wired, though, and it would be a while before they could talk. “And he raised the point that you would be a most valuable asset against the Freedom Fighters, and their newest allies.”  
  
“And who, pray tell, are they?” Regina prompted.  
  
“We’ll explain inside, but I can confirm that they’ve come into the possession of a _very_ powerful robot, a rogue Metal Sonic, and a wayward ex-member of theirs returned as a cyborg,” Snively replied. “Sounds promising, no?”  
  
  
The Overlander mage looked back at him, and grinned, the beginnings of her… _unique_ laugh audible, and nodded.  
  
“Oh yes… I can definitely work with this.”  
  
***  
  
Emerl landed heavily outside Freedom HQ, all but running inside. Predictably, Nicole was already there, and smiled at her as she burst through the door.  
  
“Hello, Emerl,” She greeted, warmly. The Gizoid skidded to a halt, the tension in her joints fading. The lynx’s presence always seemed to ease her stress, calm her temper, and just generally help her relax, and, despite the gravity of the news she’d received, today was no exception.  
  
“Hi, Nicole,” Emerl did her best to look at ease, evidently not succeeding, given the concerned expression on her face.  
  
“Is something the matter? You seem in an awful rush… Why did you want to meet out here, rather than in the city? Surely it would’ve been faster to find each other there…”  
  
“I didn’t want any distractions,” The Gizoid replied, starting to pace. “None of the others interrupting, or anything. This is… well, important’s not really a big enough word for it…”  
  
  
Nicole approached her, one glowing hand gently touching her armoured shoulder. She froze mid step, foot touching the floor, as she slumped forward, arms hanging limp.  
  
“Well… I’m listening…” She didn’t say anything else, but Emerl didn’t need her to.  
  
“You… might want to sit down.”  
  
“I’m not about to faint, Emerl, I’m not a character in a period romance novel. AI don’t do that,” She gave a faint laugh, something that would’ve soothed the robot all the more, if the information she was about to reveal didn’t make that third statement painfully ironic.  
  
  
“Well, okay then…” She shrugged. “You know how, when you guys brought Nic here, I asked her to help me figure out what I am and where I came from? Well, I had that talk with her and Fiona today, and… Well… they explained to me what Gizoids are, but… There’s something else…”  
  
“What is it?” The lynx AI pressed, brow furrowing.  
  
“Fiona has this theory… and… I’m inclined to believe her. She… she thinks that Gizoids were made from people,” Emerl finally admitted, turning away from her friend. “However the people that made me did it, they took some living, breathing, flesh-and-blood person, with a life and a family, and everything, and whether they were making Roboticizers or just found a way to rip out a soul and cram it into this shell… and they made me.”  
  
“Emerl…”  
  
“I know it sounds crazy, Nicole! I get it! But she’s right! I have all these Chaos powers, and my own unique attack-” She snapped her fingers, one of her javelins forming in her hand, before fading away. And I think about stuff, like emoting and all that. I know what smiling is. I think of myself as smiling, even though I don’t have a mouth, and as far as I know I’ve never had one! Same with frowning, sighing, all the other stuff. And… and… I’ve started dreaming, Nicole! I used to get flashes, visions of something, whenever I absorbed an Emerald! But now I’m seeing them whenever I power down, and sometimes my hands aren’t my hands. They’re smaller, and furry, and they have claws, and the rest of me feels different too! I think I had a tail, and…”  
  
“Emerl!” Nicole’s voice snapped her from her rant, and the Gizoid whirled to see her approaching, gently grabbing both of her shoulders. “I believe you.”  
  
“... You do?” She froze. Why did Nicole believe her story? Surely she’d think it was the most nonsensical idea ever cooked up. Unless… Did she already know where this was going?  
  
“Yes, I do. Do you remember when I created that avatar for you, so you could infiltrate the city? I said it felt… fitting. I think that might be why… I must’ve found some repressed memories while I was in there, and subconsciously based it on that…” The lynx explained, evidently arriving at the same conclusion through different means. “Besides, I’m no stranger to evil people turning innocents into machines… Nor using them for their own monstrous ends…”  
  
  
A part of Emerl wanted to scream. As much as she loved Nicole, the vagueness of her statements were becoming slightly frustrating. She still had no clue as to whether Nicole knew about the possibility that she and Fiona had realised, that she knew what this meant for her own birth already, or if she was just near the mark.  
  
“Nicole… how much did you know about this beforehand? About the way I was made?” She asked. Clarification would be nice.  
  
“Nothing concrete, though I had my suspicions,” She replied. “While it was possible that you were a simple machine, given life by Chaos, it seemed more and more implausible as I got to know you more. I’m no expert on the topic, but you certainly seemed to be more than a factory-built robot.”  
  
“But Nicole, what about yourself?” She asked, freezing up as her own words registered. The lynx AI stared at her for a second, then smiled, one eyebrow raised.  
  
“What about me?” She prompted. Emerl shook her head, straightening.  
  
“Some of that applies to you as well, doesn’t it?” Well, the cat was out of the bag now, might as well go all in.  
  
“I… Emerl, what are you talking about?”  
  
“You used to be organic too,” She stated, matter-of-factly.  
  
“Emerl, that’s… that’s ridiculous, I’ve always been a computer,” Nicole frowned.  
  
“Sorry, but until half an hour ago, I was pretty certain that I’d always been a killer robot, forgive me if I challenge that statement,” Emerl folded her arms. “I asked what you knew about the way I was made. Now I’m asking you what you know about the way _you_ were made.”  
  
“I… I don’t recall…” Nicole answered, quietly. “But that doesn’t mean-!”  
  
Emerl shook her head, cutting off the lynx’s rebuttal before she could fully speak it.  
  
“Well… Tails said, back on that ice shelf, when you were in Mecha Sally’s head, that he believed that the reason we were compatible with each other, technologically, I mean, was that you were made with tech reverse-engineered from what was used to make me,” She explained. “And if I used to be organic… And you were made by the same stuff as me, well…”  
  
“In theory, I would be created through the same method, but… Is that really enough evidence?”  
  
“Probably not, but fortunately, it’s not all.”  
  
“Well, hit me, then…” She prompted.  
  
“You told me last month that you dream, regularly. Even though there’s no reason for your processor to remain in a semi-conscious state while you’re deactivated, your mind stays online, and you dream,” The Gizoid began.  
  
“Well, I suppose you’re right there…” The lynx glanced down, eyes widening.  
  
“And how about that avatar of yours… You made it because you always wanted to be Mobian, right? You’ve been pushing further and further to be like our squishier buddies. Well, maybe this is why?”  
  
“I began to develop the desire after a brief instance in which mine and Sally’s minds were transferred into each others’ bodies. I got to experience the world the way she did, and it sparked a fascination.. But… at the same time… A part of me just felt… right.” Nicole admitted.  
  
  
“It might’ve stirred some old memories, maybe? And the form itself- Did you consciously choose to become a lynx, did you spend a lot of time working on what your avatar would be?” She asked.  
  
“No, it… it just…” Her hands balled into fists for a moment. “It just came naturally...”  
  
“See?” Emerl threw her arms wide, her tone far more excited than she’d expected to sound. She hoped that wouldn’t hurt Nicole’s feelings, if she was resisting the idea this much then clearly it was distressing her.  
  
“I haven’t demonstrated any powers like yours, though,” She cut in, as Emerl folded her arms.  
  
“What about those psionic abilities you’ve got? You made a telekinetic barrier that held me back when I first woke up, and you lanced Naugus in the head when we fought him,” She pointed out. “And how many psychic computers are there?”  
  
“I-”  
  
“None, right?” The Gizoid prompted. “That’s because all these weird powers are soul-stuff. Manifestations, extensions, of who we are. Chaos is the most obvious form of that, but these other energy forms, they’re the same. Why do you think I can’t copy your or Silver’s psychic abilities?”  
  
“Wait, you can’t?” She glanced up at her.  
  
“Nope. And at first, I didn’t know why, but as I’m starting to understand more and more… I can’t copy your powers because my soul isn’t attuned to them. Because sure, you can program sentience and all that stuff into a robot, but that doesn’t make a soul,” Emerl explained.  
  
“I… you’re… but…” Nicole’s avatar flickered, her voice distorting momentarily as she staggered back, hands clutching at her head. Emerl froze. Nicole didn’t seem to be handling this all that well… Did she really screw up this badly? “I’m sorry, I… I need a minute.”  
  
  
And with that, the lynx’s holographic form faded, leaving the Gizoid alone.  
  
***  
  
  
  
Angel Island felt empty.  
  
It had been quiet, of course, ever since most of the population left for Albion, but it was amazing how much of a difference another two absences could make. The knowledge that Albion itself was in a similar state only added to that detail.  
  
Knuckles had barely moved from his vigil at the Master Emerald since then. He didn’t speak, or exercise, or do anything but stand guard. Several times, Espio or Mighty or Ray had needed to prompt him to eat something.  
  
  
Vector knew a man burying himself in work to cope with grief when he saw one, and Knuckles was just that.  
  
  
The crocodile didn’t profess to understand the “Soultouch” that had existed between his friend and Julie-Su, at least not entirely. He had gathered that it was some sort of strange, Chaos-based sense that echidna used to find a partner. They seemed to have some sort of Aurora-given “love at first sight” trait. That didn’t mean the resultant relationship always worked out, the Soultouch could be lost in time, as it had been for Knuckles’ own parents, and could even be felt more than once in a lifetime.  
  
But whatever the full details, Knuckles and Julie had felt it _very_ strongly.  
  
And now Julie was gone, banished to another plane of existence by some lunatic ex-Freedom Fighter with a genocidal grudge, along with basically Knuckles’ entire species, save for one insane scientist who had once turned Knuckles into an evil demigod, and maybe a few others, scattered to the winds.  
  
Worse, another of their number, Saffron, had been caught up in it as collateral, disappeared alongside the echidna despite having no connection to them besides being on the same team as two of their number. And as if that wasn’t enough, she’d vanished just in time to not be there when her partner, Charmy, had regained his mental faculties, turning what should’ve been a purely joyous moment for all of them into a bittersweet moment of heartbreak for the young bee.  
  
  
Vector had a lot on his mind now, and Charmy’s miraculous recovery was only adding to it. After the second white flash, the damage that the Egg Grapes had done to him went away. More than that, it now seemed as though it had never happened. Charmy remembered things clearly that had only happened after his brain damage, as well as his own altered state. In fact, all of them had two sets of memories, though it seemed as though the memories of the version of events where Charmy was brain-drained were gradually fading.  
  
It raised a large amount of questions, but few answers, other than it obviously being connected to the strange white flash.  
  
  
For now, however, Vector’s attention rested primarily on one, singular goal: Locating Thrash the Devil.  
  
Once they had found him, they would either use his Warp Ring to bring back everyone he stole, or failing that, bring him to justice for his horrendous crime. Not that they wouldn’t deal with him accordingly if they _could_ save everyone, but the retaliation was not to be the focus in such an event.  
  
  
But as the weeks turned to a month, and began to encroach on two, still they had no results. At least, until…  
  
“Got something,” Espio spoke up, walking into the room where Vector sat, hunched over a computer.  
  
“Well, hit me. Any news is good news at this point,” The crocodile turned, leaning back in his chair. It groaned uncomfortably under his weight, definitely not made for a Mobian of his size.  
  
“Instruments picked up a Warp Ring signature, and it’s a 97% match for the traces left over from Albion. So either it’s him, or someone else that was there,” The chameleon replied. “He’s in Downunda, to the south-west.”  
  
“Knew that Haven tech could be used for better purposes than spying on Knux,” Vector grinned, standing up. “Tell everyone else what you’ve found, and I’ll prepare transport. Let’s go get this monster.”  
  
***  
  
Thrash the Devil reclined in a chair of his own, relaxing for the first time in years.  
  
At long last, his work was done. The echidna race was functionally extinct, nothing left but two males, whom hated each other. One of them had even given him the means to wipe all of the others out. At long last, retribution was his. His people, his family, had their vengeance, and he could rest easy in the knowledge that the scales of justice were once more balanced.  
  
The large mutant’s ear twitched for a moment, his brows meshing together as he listened for any noise.  
  
Nothing.  
  
That wasn’t right, though. The Devil Dogs were outside, and they were pack animals. Some of them would have to be awake, and probably growling at each other, as an ingrained safety instinct. Something... or someone must’ve silenced them…  
  
Slowly, he rose to his feet, moving as quietly as possible, ears twitching as he listened carefully for any indication as to what had happened to his mutated brethren.  
  
  
Without warning, a red blur crashed through the roof of his home, and Knuckles landed with a heavy crunch, glaring up at him with eyes aflame, gritting his teeth. Too fast for Thrash to react, he sprang up, slugging the larger Mobian in the stomach, the spurs piercing his skin.  
  
The tasmanian devil wheezed, but brought his own huge fist down on Knuckles’ head, staggering him, before he unleashed his sonic scream, hurling the echidna back.  
  
“I spared you last time, mate,” He sneered. “I can rescind that, if you like?”  
  
“You have one chance to bring my family and friends back, Thrash,” The Guardian rose to his feet, fists slamming together as he rolled out his neck. “Or I’ll make you do it.”  
  
“I will _never_ undo my work,” Thrash shook his head, narrowing his eyes. “And you think you can make me? You and what army?”  
  
“This one,” Knuckles replied.  
  
  
At that exact moment, Mighty burst up from the ground below, slugging the tasmanian devil across the jaw and knocking him to the ground. Spitting a tooth, he tried to rise, only for Vector’s tail to sweep his legs from under him, as Ray kicked him in the face with both feet.  
  
He collapsed, trying to push himself up, only to feel a sharp, stabbing pain in his left shoulder, his arm going limp and numb, Charmy buzzing away to hover beside Knuckles, glaring at Thrash.  
  
“Where’s Saffron?” He demanded.  
  
“She was… unfortunate collateral…” Thrash replied, as Mighty and Vector hauled his upper body upright. “Apologies, but she’s not coming back. I can’t let you undo what I’ve achieved for one person. Needs of the many, and all.”  
  
“Needs of the-!?” The bee spluttered, eyes widening. “ _You’re_ one person!”  
  
Both he and Knuckles charged again, this time targeting Thrash’s face, knocking him reeling.  
  
“If there’s a ‘many’ involved, it’s probably the echidnas,” Vector added. “Surely their need for freedom outweighs your need for vengeance.”  
  
“My people needed avenging, mate!” Thrash scowled, words slurred by the swelling Charmy’s stinger had caused. He took a deep breath, preparing to unleash another sound blast, when he suddenly froze in place, keeling over, body stiff.  
  
“I personally don’t believe in ‘eye for an eye’,” Espio appeared behind him. “And even if I did, you have no excuse for genocide. What was done to your people was indeed unforgivable, but in retaliating the way you did, you have become no better than the scientists you so hate.”  
  
  
“Finished dealing with the dogs, then?” Mighty asked the chameleon, who nodded, saying nothing else. “Well, what do we do with him now?”  
  
“Find his Warp Ring, the one I swiped from him at Albion wasn’t the correct one. The one he used to banish everyone must still be here somewhere,” Knuckles replied. “As for Thrash himself… We’ll take him to Mobotropolis. The prison there is equipped to handle super-powered beings, and he won’t be escaping on Nicole’s watch.”  
  
“Be quick about it. Those nerve-strikes won’t hold him forever,” Espio spoke up.  
  
“Yeah, and I’m not sure if cuffs will hold him…” Vector added. Nodding, the echidna slammed his fist into the tasmanian devil’s forehead, knocking him out cold. “But that should make it easier.”

**Author's Note:**

> And we're back.
> 
> Updates will be monthly.


End file.
